
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
The future of a proposed tiny house village to offer transitional housing to homeless individuals in Des Moines is now up in the air.
Driving the news: Joppa, the nonprofit behind the project, withdrew its offer to purchase property for the 50-home development, according to city documents released Monday.
The big picture: Tiny houses are being used in cities across the U.S. to help reduce homelessness.
State of play: A request to rezone the property at 1661 County Line Road was removed from Monday night's City Council meeting agenda at Joppa's request.
- Joppa CEO Joe Stevens and his staff did not return Axios' request for comment Monday.
Between the lines: The project had recently stalled after city officials raised questions about the group's finances and structure.
- Workers and volunteers have also questioned how donor money has been used by the 13-year-old organization, the Des Moines Register reported.
What to watch: Joppa didn't have answers to the city's questions but Des Moines remains open to working with the group, Councilperson Josh Mandelbaum said during Monday's meeting.
- Des Moines officials believe village supporters will regroup and re-engage with the city about the idea early next year, city spokesperson Al Setka told Axios.


Get more local stories in your inbox with Axios Des Moines.
More Des Moines stories
No stories could be found

Get a free daily digest of the most important news in your backyard with Axios Des Moines.